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ACUR 2013

Abstracts of POSTER

Presentations

(Alphabetical order of first name of students)

Alaa

Ismail

Monash University

Characterisation of human fibroblastic reticular cells

Introduction: Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) are the main component of the structuralbackbone of the T cell rich zones in secondary lymphoid organs. However FRCs are alsoinvolved in a number of activities and interactions that go beyond their role in architecturalscaffolding. Recent studies have shown that FRCs are involved

in a number of functions androles, including the production of cytokines and the direction and sustenance of T cells andB cells during immune responses. Additionally, there is some preliminary evidence that FRCsmay influence the innate immune response.

Hypothesis: We hypothesised that innate immune roles may exist for hFRCs.

Materials and Methods: 1) Human FRC cells were obtained from several unrelated donors. Amicroarray gene analysis was carried out to determine whether FRC gene expressionincluded those for chemokines related to innate immunity.

2) FRC cell cultures were incubated with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) over a timecourse ranging from 0-48 hours. Samples were taken at pre-defined timepoints.

Results: A heatmap was obtained from the microarray analysis, indicating total expressionof chemokines, interleukins, interleukin receptors, interferons and tumor necrosis factors inFRCs from the different donors. CXCL10, CCL2, CCL5, CCL22, CXCL1, CXCL2 and CXCL14 wereidentified as chemokines in addition to the cytokine interleukin 6 with key roles in innateimmunity and selected for follow-up studies.

What influences exchange destination choice? Evidence from students returned to an

Australian university

Exchange students’ motivations for studying abroad vary widely. Their choices can beinformed by factors that range from specific qualities of the university to those that arebeyond the university’s control. As a result of globalisation and internationalisation in highereducation, student mobility has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, raisingimportant questions regarding the nature ofthe relationship between universities andinternational students. The study explores the various pull factors at different scales thatinfluence study destination choice. A survey instrument, including Likert scale, ranking scaleand open-ended questions was, employed (response rate 25.78%). Results point toopportunities for cultural immersion and social interaction rather than education factors aspredominant influences on student’s choice of destination. It was also apparent thatstudents saw their choice of university as a means to experience a particular country or city.As such, the study supports the notion of the exchange student as an ‘educational tourist’.The results have implications for how universities and students utilise the opportunitiespresented by overseas study. The necessity for universities to improve relationships withdestination managers is also highlighted.

Avinash Babu Srinivasreddy

University of Wollongong

Characterization of Rice Husk Ash and Its Use in Concrete

Concrete is the

most widely used construction material on earth with, around five billioncubic meters produced annually. The active ingredient in concrete is cement which typicallymakes about 10 to 15% of the concrete. The production of cement requires high energy,emits large amount of greenhouse gases, depletes natural resources and is very expensive.It has been reported that to produce 1 tonne of cement-

consumes 4GJ of energy, emits1tonne of CO2 and requires about 1.7 tonnes of raw materials (limestone). Considerableefforts are being made to make use of the waste materials such as fly ash from coalcombustion and Rice Husk Ash (RHA) as a partial replacement of cement. These can partiallyreplace cement and also help to improve the concrete properties. Rice husk ash (RHA) is anagricultural waste, which is obtained by burning rice husk. The resulting ash is pozzolanicwhich means that it can react with water to form concrete.

The present study investigates the chemical and morphological nature of RHA and silicafume, which is an existing cement replacement used to improve strength and durability ofconcrete. Silica fume is obtained by refining of silicon metal and mining naturally occurringdeposits of amorphous silica. Particle size distribution, Loss on Ignition, X-ray diffractionanalysis, scanning electron microscopic and X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy experimentswere carried.

Results show that the particle size of RHA and Silica fume in our samples were 9µm and 32µm. The particle of RHA were irregularin shape and silica fume was spherical. The RHA wasamorphous in nature with 65-

75% silicon by mass. It contains about 3.5% of unburnt carboncontent.

These results allow us to predict how the materials will behave when mixed in concrete. Thenext phase

of the research will test compressive strength and workability of the plasticconcrete to allow compression between the materials. This work is part of a Master bycoursework at the University of Wollongong.

Carolyn Woods

Macquarie University

Building,tearing down and memory: Approaches to the Berlin Wall as an example ofcommunicative and cultural memory

This research project uses the Berlin Wall to engage with the concept of communicative andcultural memory. The Berlin Wall was and continues to be synonymous with the division ofGermany. With initial construction beginning in 1961, the Berlin Wall remained both aphysical representation of the division of East and West Berlin but also a symbolicrepresentation of the division of the Eastern and Western Bloc. It remained until 1989 whenthe border between East and West was opened after nearly 30 years of division. Today, theBerlin Wall holds a special significance as a ‘living’ memory, reminding millions of the tragicpast of Berlin. However after recent moves from property developers, this symbol andmemory is under threat. Four sections of the East Side Gallery have been removed in orderto make way for a luxury residential unit block. In opposition to this development, therehave been protests by locals and tourists fighting to save the Wall. This action raises anumber of issues regarding memory. The first issue is the fact that there is often a conflictbetween communicative and cultural memory. According to A Erll, that is a conflict betweenwhat we communicate to our contemporaries and what we would like to leave for futuregenerations in the form of symbolic reminders and monuments of the past. Nowhere is thisbetter seen than the Berlin Wall. Interviews from the time demonstrate that for some who

lived through this time, it is a symbol of oppression and division. For others it is a symbol ofbetter times under Soviet control. This leads to the second issue related to memory in thatmemory can also come down to personal experience while it is alsoclear that memory is notalways voluntary.

In the current world, it is clear that globalisation and world polity theory are emerging astwo, powerful, and sometimes conflicting, global expectations. Balancing a nation’seconomic needs with its global social responsibilities requires a considered approach bypolicy makers. This paper examines how environmental protection policies of developingAsian nations have not always struck this fine balance, and in some instances, have notactively pursued such a balance at all. The paper investigates, through various case studies,how contemporary economic, social and political issues pose a challenge to policy makers inthe region. The challenges of changing demographics, the use of environmentallyunsustainable production practices, and the rise in foreign tourism levels within Asiannations are examined as symptomatic of both domestic and global economic pressures.However, these economic pressures do not exist in isolation and their impact is worsenedby socio-political problems that governments need to address. These include the challengesof institutionalised corruption and state sovereignty disputes. By contrasting varyingacademic viewpoints on each issue before presenting the case study examples, thediscussion demonstrates how and why an issue that may seem to exist in isolation can affecthow the governments of developing

nations approach environmental sustainability policydevelopment.

Gaelen Perrone

The University of Western Australia

Interpreting Strategic Litigation: Policy Entrepreneurship at The Court of Justice of theEuropean Union

Policy entrepreneurs are political actors who seek to effect policy change within a givenpolitical arena. Though their modus operandi is traditionally limited to influencing thelegislative policy agenda, this study hypothesises a different approach to policy promotion.In political systems which possess a codified set of laws with established legal supremacyover statutory law, the judiciary may present an alternative opportunity to initiate domesticpolicy change. The incorporation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EuropeanUnion into the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009 precipitated a transformative shift in the availableavenues of policy avocation in the European Union. As a result of specific interpretations bythe Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), the domestic legal

sovereignty ofEuropean member states was significantly weakened. Individual activists and organisedsocial movements were empowered to take advantage of this new avenue of policyavocation, preparing and promoting their causes to courts by supporting victims andlitigating on their behalf. Examination of three instances of strategic legal action beingbrought before the CJEU, involving Gabrielle Defrenne v. Société anonyme belge denavigation aérienne Sabena II (1976), Grant v. South-West Trains Ltd. (1998) and P. v. S. andCornwall County Council (1996), was conducted to address the study’s central researchquestion: to what extent does strategic litigation represent a new manifestation of policyentrepreneurship and what conclusions may be drawn from the

European experience? Itwas ultimately found that strategic litigation shares several significant commonalities withthe current academic conceptualisation of policy entrepreneurship. Differences betweenthe legal outcomes of these cases further suggest that litigious success is subject to evolvingexternal and internal perceptions of the CJEU’s institutional legitimacy. The implications ofthis finding emphasise the present limitations of supranational legal systems in effectingdomestic policy change.

Georgia Alexander

Macquarie University

The Economisation of the Organ Trade

The advent of organ transplants from as early as the 1960s initially was one of the greatmedical discoveries of the 20th century. Since then, the process of globalisation hastransformed the technology in parts of the world into a socially destructive andeconomically driven trade. This has produced international disparities between the rich andpoor, through the existing international world order of developed and developing states.

This paper aims to discuss why these processes are taking place and how they are beingfacilitated on an international scale. As well as discussing the trade, this paper will alsoinvestigate the ‘flow of organs’ from developing to developed countries and on what termsthis flow operates. Traditional organ donation strategies increasingly are being replaced bya monetary incentive. This incentive operates as the desperately sick of developed stateshave the ability to finance the sourcing and transportation of organs from developingnations, exploiting the world’s poorest. This paper will investigate what has facilitated thecrucial shift from donation to purchase and how such transactions are continually growingdespite a serious moral deficit. Background research has revealed the cooperation of somegovernment structures that has enabled this trade to exist more freely. The organ tradehighlights the ‘commodification’ of people within developing nations, especially within theAsian region. This commodification displays a capacity to lessen the value of life of peoplestricken by poverty. The focus will be on legislation as well as the black market thatoperates both beneath and in view of the law. Several journal articles, as well as newspaperarticles will furnish some primary material for this investigation

Jack Muir

Australian National University

The Time Varying Rotation of the Inner Core Assessed by Bayesian Evidence

The inner core of the Earth consists of a solid metallic ball, extendingto a radius ofapproximately 1220km from the Earth's centre. It has recently been suggested that couplingof the inner core to the Earth's magnetic field causes it to rotate at a rate different to that ofthe rest of the Earth. This has been confirmed viaseismological studies in the last 15 years,however the exact nature of the differential rotation remains unconfirmed. It is commonlyassumed that the inner core rotates at a faster than the rest of the Earth, at a constant 1-3degrees per year. Researchers at the Australian National University (Hrovje et al 2013) havefound evidence that the rotation rate is in fact not constant. This study assessed the relativestatistical significance of constant, and non-constant differential rotation models usingBayesian Marginal Evidence, which gives a quantative measure of the relative probability ofmodels.

Jacqueline Ruchpaul

Open University

The Correction of Public Opinion: the account of Kleomenes I by Herodotus

The reign of the Spartan King Kleomenes I was fundamental in Greek history as it was duringthis period that Sparta became a leader in the Greek world. Virtually the sole source for thereign of Kleomenes is The Histories written by the Greek historian Herodotus. Althoughdubbed ‘the Father of History’

Herodotus’ account of Kleomenes (The Histories Books 5:41-75, 6:50-92) has been almost unanimously described as unfavourable to the King by modernhistorians. However, an analysis of his writing shows patterns in Herodotus’ literary stylethat may put this supposedly ‘hostile’ reporting of Kleomenes into perspective in relation tothe rest of The Histories, as well as bring to light some of the more positive angles, aspectsand comments within the account which may challenge the opinion of modern historians.Admittedly the account has a slightly negative undertone in places but this isunderstandable when considering that the sources of Herodotus for Kleomenes may havebeen more negative than positive, given that Kleomenes’ reign was not only turbulent but

ended in his controversial death described as a madman. Furthermore, he left no maleancestors to redeem his name. No one has outlined the perceived faults of Herodotus inmore detail than Plutarch in ‘The Malice of Herodotus’ however it is interestingto note thathe does not chastise the account of Kleomenes. This may indicate that the account wasoriginally considered just and unbiased, a consideration that somehow changed over thecourse of time. More detailed research in establishing that the account of Kleomenes in TheHistories was not as hostile as previously declared will be a valuable contribution to modernscholarship in demonstrating that there is more than one way to appreciate the works ofthe ancient historians. Perhaps the ‘Father of History’ deserves a second glance.

Joshua Price

Macquarie University

The 2013 Ford factory closure: A management induced crisis

The question posed was to evaluate the management of a crisis by an organisation that hadfaced a crisis in the past 18 months. The organisation chosen for this essay was Ford, thecrisis being the closure of its car factories in Geelong and Broadmeadow. The main theoryused for this essay is the theory of Management Induced Crises (MIC) posed by DamianGleeson. In the essay I proposed that the closures of the Ford Factories, withoutimmediately announcing a redundancy package, constituted a MIC. Ford’s actions forcedthe Australian Government into providing a $30 Million transition program for Ford workers,easing the economic impact

to Ford. In this essay I show, using the events leading up to theclosure, the conditions necessary for an organisation to implement a MIC. By comparing the2013 Ford Factory closure to the 2011 Qantas Lockdown show that the crisis was in factorchestrated by Ford management.

Lauren Brady

Charles Sturt University

Exploring Personal Development, Health and Physical Education, Higher School Certificateteachers’ perceptions of the value of New South Wales Higher School Certificate Onlinewebsite in preparing students for a high-stakes examination

This research provides an evaluation of the Personal Development, Health and PhysicalEducation (PDHPE) node of the New South Wales (NSW) Higher School Certificate (HSC)Online website, from the perspectives of a sample of current NSW PDHPE HSC teachers. TheNSW HSC Online website is a collaborative venture of Charles Sturt University (CSU) and theNSW Department of Education and Communities which was designed to provide onlinelearning resources to support upper secondary students studying for the HSC, and theirteachers. While there has been research previously conducted on the website, there hasbeen no research-based evaluation of the PDHPE node of the website. Therefore, thisresearch is significant as it aims to evaluate the ability of the resource to support teachers inassisting students to prepare for the high-stakes HSC examination.

This research adopted an interpretivist approach and theoretical framework in order toevaluate the NSW HSC Online website.Qualitative data collection in the form of individualsemi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with a sample of NSW PDHPE HSCteachers who were selected using purposive and convenience sampling techniques.Participant interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using a thematic approachto data analysis which involved unearthing prominent themes from interview proceedings.

The findings of this study are significant as the sample of PDHPE teachers indicated thatoverall the NSW HSC Onlinewebsite is perceived as a quality website that supports teachersto prepare students for their NSW HSC PDHPE examination. These findings however cannotbe generalised to other subject nodes available on the NSW HSC Online website. Theresearch participants

believe that there is room for improvement in the design of thewebsite. Recommendations that have arisen from the data include ensuring the website iscurrent, aligns with syllabus documents, and incorporates a variety of content andsupportive materialto serve the multitude of ways teachers used the site.

Luisa Corsaro

Macquarie University

Migration and Today’s German Society: Immigrant Influences on Culture

The rising immigrant population is continuing to have a significant impact on Germansociety.This is a relatively new field of study and there is a limited amount of previousresearch.This paper therefore aims to discuss the positive and negative impacts ofimmigrants on mainstream German culture.

By conducting secondary research into German authors with migrant backgrounds andreviewing the issues that arise from their works, the immense influence that immigrantsexert on German culture can be seen. Similarly, examining research on the German cultureconducted by other academics contributes to the notion that migrant literature is a crucialpart of German culture and is rapidly expanding. The increasing migrant literaturephenomenon is reflective of the diverse multicultural backgrounds of the Germanpopulation, including persons of Turkish, Syrian and Eastern European decent.

Within the last two decades, since the reunification of Germany, there has been positiveprogress made towards promoting a more multicultural society. This positive attitude of theGerman population contributes to the successful integration of migrants into Germansociety. The revised ‘Integration Courses’ initiative shows that mainstream Germany iswilling to foster ‘multilingualism’,-

the ability to speak more than one language.

However, not all migrant influences can be deemed positive. One of the negative aspects ofa multicultural society is the disintegration of traditional German language structures.Hybrid languages have become commonplace among youths. Not only does this impactmigrants and their acquisition of the German language, but ultimately influences nativespeakers as they adopt this ‘Mischsprache’ (mixed language). The gap between written andspoken language widens and possibly disadvantages the social upward mobility of theseimmigrants.

Through contributing to this field of research, it is hoped that more migrant culturalinfluences on mainstream German society can be identified and discussed.

Mara Hammerle

Macquarie University

Immigrant Youth in Germany and German Language Acquisition: Opportunities andChallenges

Despite several international reports critiquing such practices, educational segregation at anearly age continues in Germany, leading to inequalities in the opportunities faced by youth.The school attended by an individual significantly influences their career path, with onlystudents who have attended the highest secondary school level being easily accepted intouniversity (Powell, 2011). These trends are particularly problematic for children withimmigrant backgrounds. According to the Statistisches Bundesamt, 18.7% of children withsuch a background attended the lowest level of the school system (the Hauptschule)whereas only 4.3% attended the highest level (the Gymnasium) in 2012. In contrast to otherethnic groups, including those from Southern Europe, youth with Turkish heritage appear tobe over-represented in the numbers that attend Hauptschule. They are also the most likelyto have poor German language abilities (Informationsdienst Soziale Indikatoren, 2011).Individual language competencies can be viewed as a fundamental prerequisite forobtaining a higher level school degree and by extension are crucial for successful socialintegration (Shakib-Ekbatan, Hasselbach, Roos and Schöler, 2006). As such, this work willcritically assess several methods that are either being currently implemented or are stillbeing discussed with the aim of improving the German language abilities of immigrantchildren. By analysing data collected through the EVAS-study (Shakib-Ekbatan, Hasselbach,Roos and Schöler, 2006), the shortcomings of relying exclusively on intensive Germanlanguage programs will be explored. Instead it will be argued that a more holistic approachis required, one that incorporates a stronger focus on German language acquisition into allschool subjects. By examining German higher education websites and journal articles on thetopic, the unpreparedness of educators to teach German as a second language and theimportance of reversing this trend will also be addressed.

Marco Tulio Ramalho Zoratti

Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso

Analysis of the anti-inflammatory action of Cariniana rubra Gardner & Miers in air bubblemodel

Anti-inflammatory drugs make up about half of analgesics, remedying pain by reducinginflammation as opposed to opioids, which affect the central nervous system. In addition tomedical drugs, some herbs, plants and health supplements have anti-inflammatory qualitiesand are very useful for popular health. The Brazilian Cerrado, a vast tropical savannaecoregion, hasa huge biodiversity of medicinal plants. Among these, highlights theCariniana rubra Gardner & Miers. This tree belongs to the Lecythidaceae family, knownunder the common name of Red Jequitibá. Popularly, the bark of this plant is used intraditional medicine in the State of Mato Grosso as an anti-inflammatory for throat, ovaryand uterus disorders, especially, being really useful for native people. Studies have shownthat this action comes from the presence of pentacyclic triterpenes (b-sitosterol,stigmasterol, amirinas, lupeol and arjunolic acid). Thus, this study aimed to identify themechanisms of the anti-inflammatory action of Cariniana rubra, through leukocytesantimigratory action.

The bark Cariniana rubra was collected in the city of Cuiabá, Mato Grosso. The material wasground and immersed in methanolic solvent for seven days with daily agitation. Then wassubmitted using a rotary evaporator and drying for the preparation of the methanol extract(EMCR). Later the phytochemical was performed tocharacterize the presence of secondarymetabolites. Finally, to evaluate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of EMCR, we used themodel of inflammation in air bubble induced by carrageenan. A group of Swiss albino micewas treated with 500 mg / kg of the drugor EMCR standard dexamethasone (1 mg / kg) bygavage. After 4 and 24 h of induction of the inflammatory process, the animals weresacrificed and the cavity washed was collected for total and differential count of leukocytes[macrophages, lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear (PMN)] in a Neubauer chamber.

In conclusion, we showed that the EMCR features compounds having antiinflammatoryaction and can inhibit leukocyte migration into the inflammatory site so as effective asstandard drugs (dexamethasone). Future studies may determine which is the maincomponent of this plant anti-inflammatory and may contributeto the development of newanti-inflammatory drugs, more effective and with fewer side effects.

Mirelle Barbosa Rocha

Monash University

Clinical Characteristics of Pneumonia in Children Admited to the Materno Infantil Hospitalin 2009, Cacoal-

Ro–

Brazil

Introduction: Acute respiratory infections are the leading cause of hospitalization and thesecond cause of death in children under 5 years in Brazil. In the Brazilian indigenouspopulation respiratory diseases are the leading causes of death, affectingmainly theextremes age groups. Among the causes of hospitalization pneumonia have a high ratecomplications and death among patients under 5 years.

Objective: To describe the clinical features of pneumonia in children of different age groupsand ethnicgroups hospitalized at Maternal Infantil Hospital (MIH) at Cacoal/Brazil in 2009.

Methodology: Observational retrospective cutting / cross, executed in 2010, and conductedat MIH. We analyzed medical charts of 167 patients indigenous and non-indigenous,whoseadmission was motivated by clinical presentation of pneumonia. Results: 79% were non-indigenous and 21%. indigenous. 56% of the total were male and hospitalizations wereconcentrated in the age group under three years. 17% of non-indigenous and 11% ofindigenous had complications of bacterial pneumonia.

Conclusion: There is a precarious living conditions of infants in all ethnic groups, requiringknowledge of possible risk factors predispose to respiratory infections and nutritionalstatus, living conditions and exposure to causative agents. Given this it is recommended toprepare a study that seeks to explore these relevant factors.

Phoebe Haywood

The University of Queensland

The Journey to Work: A Study on the Impacts on Workers of Changed Commuting Patterns

The daily journey to work (JTW) is undertaken by the majority of the Australian populationon a daily basis. Research has shown that the characteristics of an individual’s JTW have thecapacity to significantly influence their daily activities

and structure, relationships andinterpersonal interactions, and their overall lifestyle. An appreciation of this influence theJTW can have in the lives of workers is therefore critical in determining consequences ofchange such as workplace relocations.

While the impacts of different aspects of the journeyto work (such as transport modal choice) are widely discussed in the academic literature,the impacts of changed JTW patterns following workplace relocations remain somewhatneglected, especially in the Australian context.

This study involved a short anonymous voluntary survey of a group of 100 professionalemployees (aged 30-50) of two divisions of CSIRO working in the newly constructed DuttonPark Eco Sciences Precinct. The sample group recently experienced workplace relocationfrom the outer suburb of Cleveland to the inner city suburb of Dutton Park. It was foundthat factors related to their changed journey had various impacts for workers in terms of;stress levels, flexibility or daily routines and overall opinion or perception of their JTW. For anumber of workers, relocation and altered JTW patterns corresponded with a decline intheir overall quality of life. This was elucidated by the significant declines in overall worksatisfaction, qualityand quantity of personal relationships and daily activities. The severityof these outcomes correlated directly with the degree to which JTW patterns andbehaviours had become habitual.

Rainer Zeller

Macquarie University

Angle Estimation and Face Recognition in 2D/ 3D

Our ability to recognise unfamiliar faces is worse if our second exposure to the face is from adifferent viewpoint angle than the first; the greater the difference in angle, the worse ourface recognition ability becomes. This phenomenon is

known as •viewpoint costê.Differential effects have been found for stereoscopic (3D) and synoptic (2D) stimuluspresentation, such that stereoscopic stimuli result in reduced viewpoint costs. If a face isseen at an angle, it may require mental rotationto zero degrees (looking straight ahead) tofacilitate comparison. If so, correctly estimating the angle of face presentation may becritical for appropriate mental rotation and comparison. Stereopsis may reduce viewpointcosts by facilitating improved judgment of angular offset via added depth cues.

This experiment investigated the effect of stereopsis on the accuracy and precision of faceangle estimation. Participants were presented with a stereoscopic or synoptic face rotatedeither up/down or left/right, to one of seven predetermined angles, and were asked toverbally estimate the angle of rotation in degrees. It was hypothesised that faces rotatedleft/right would produce better angle estimates than faces rotated up/down; thatstereoscopic presentation would produce better angle estimates than synopticpresentation; and that stereopsis would improve angle estimates in pitch more than in yaw.Preliminary results indicate that yaw estimates are superior only at small and mediumrotations, and that stereopsis improves angle estimates for yaw rotations only. Although thehypotheses received only limited support, results nevertheless indicate that stereopsis canimprove angle estimation ability, providing a partial account for the viewpoint costphenomenon.

Rebecka O'Malley

Macquarie University

Magical Girls With Magical Identities

Popular culture, such as manga (Japanese comic books) and anime (Japanese cartoons)provide an excellent way to analyse reality through a fictional medium. By examiningMagical Girls (girls with varying magical powers) in manga and anime the reader can clearlysee the parallels between the magical growth of the characters, and the physical, mentaland emotional growth of real girls. Examining these fictional works allows for a non-controversial and comfortingly distant analysis of society and a woman’s role within it.

Another common aspect of the Magical Girl genre is the Magical Mascot (small, cute, oftenanimal like companions to the Magical Girls), who are possibly representative of societyitself. These Magical Mascots however have not been properly analysed, despite theirimportance within the series, and what they represent.

I have thoroughly read/watched and analysed several Magical Girl series, and I haveresearched papers

previously published on the subject, as well as several papers writtenabout identity and society, to complete my research. My poster will present my research,and demonstrate that manga and anime are perfect tools to use in the analysis of reality.

Sandra Raub

University of Western Australia

Hello Globalisation: adapting the Australian law degree to the international playing field,is it a possibility?

Globalization (Clifford 2011) is a widely recognized phenomenon, requiring locals tointernationalize(Clifford 2011) more and more in order to remain globally competitive. Dueto the rise of international cooperation since the second world war and the success ofmultinational political and legal institutions like the European Union and the United Nations,

legal professionals are increasingly required to not only be locally (state), but alsointernationally, competent. In recognition of this, the Australian government set up anInternational Legal Education and Training Committee in 2004 to aid the process.

In thisCommittee’s 2004 report, the need for Australian universities to internationalize washighlighted and the different strategies used by law schools were described and compared.In this paper, an online interview was sent out to 129 of legal academics at two Australasianuniversities regarding the increasing demand of internationalization within the legalprofession. Then a follow-up interview was conducted with one legal academic at UWA. Theresults from both sources showed that internationalization

is seen as highly desirable withinthe legal industry, yet academics are still challenged by the lack of pressure towardsinternationalisation within the education context and often struggle to come up withsolutions that would enable them to successfully

cover local, as well as international contentwithin the standing teaching constraints. In order for law schools to remain internationallycompetitive, the gap will need to be bridged by introducing more internationalizationstrategy, which may include but is not limited to: more internationally applicable units orinternational components into units, encouraging international student exchange orintroducing a compulsory cultural component and language studies into the standard lawdegree.